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nicolecurlsuptoread's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
🎧 + 📱 • Listened on audio while reading the e-book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️½ • 3.5/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ • 4/5
📌 You’ll dig this if you like
» Fake dating
» Slow burns
» Friends to lovers
» Unrequited crushes (for both!)
» Found family
→ I struggled a bit with this book. Listening to the audio while reading with my eyes is usually a great experience, but there were some significant differences between the audio recording and e-book which were jarring and confusing. I would recommend the written version over the audiobook if it’s accessible for you, even just for the epilogues. There are two extra chapters in the written version.
→ I didn’t like Stella very much through the book; she defined obtuse, and I couldn’t connect with her. Luka saved the story for me, as did Beckett and Layla. Even though I didn’t love Lovelight Farms, I will read the following books because I want to see how their stories play out.
→ Stella and Luka’s relationship was what redeemed this story. The little pieces of themselves they’ve shared over time and missed opportunities. Love masquerading as close friendship for a decade, with a now or never opportunity. This was a great way to shape friends to lovers.
📌 What stood out
» Beckett becomes a cat dad without hesitation and is immediately crowned the chosen one by mama cat and her kittens. Cue swoon!
» The thread of the pine air fresheners 🌲
» Firefighters and townsfolk volunteer as official North Pole representatives to take wish lists from kids so no child has to sit on a stranger’s lap. 👏
📌 Moments
» Luka asks Stella to slow dance in the kitchen; it’s how his parents argued/ had big discussions ❤️❤️ He admits he thinks it’s so his dad "could politely restrain his mother". I think it would be tough to stay angry while dancing in a hug.
🚫 Triggers: debt, parental abandonment, death of parent to cancer. Please check warnings.
⭐️⭐️⭐️½ • 3.5/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ • 4/5
📌 You’ll dig this if you like
» Fake dating
» Slow burns
» Friends to lovers
» Unrequited crushes (for both!)
» Found family
→ I struggled a bit with this book. Listening to the audio while reading with my eyes is usually a great experience, but there were some significant differences between the audio recording and e-book which were jarring and confusing. I would recommend the written version over the audiobook if it’s accessible for you, even just for the epilogues. There are two extra chapters in the written version.
→ I didn’t like Stella very much through the book; she defined obtuse, and I couldn’t connect with her. Luka saved the story for me, as did Beckett and Layla. Even though I didn’t love Lovelight Farms, I will read the following books because I want to see how their stories play out.
→ Stella and Luka’s relationship was what redeemed this story. The little pieces of themselves they’ve shared over time and missed opportunities. Love masquerading as close friendship for a decade, with a now or never opportunity. This was a great way to shape friends to lovers.
📌 What stood out
» Beckett becomes a cat dad without hesitation and is immediately crowned the chosen one by mama cat and her kittens. Cue swoon!
» The thread of the pine air fresheners 🌲
» Firefighters and townsfolk volunteer as official North Pole representatives to take wish lists from kids so no child has to sit on a stranger’s lap. 👏
📌 Moments
» Luka asks Stella to slow dance in the kitchen; it’s how his parents argued/ had big discussions ❤️❤️ He admits he thinks it’s so his dad "could politely restrain his mother". I think it would be tough to stay angry while dancing in a hug.
🚫 Triggers: debt, parental abandonment, death of parent to cancer. Please check warnings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, Abandonment, Cancer, and Terminal illness
Minor: Alcoholism
shaipanda's review
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved thisss - would have 100% read it in one sitting if I hadn’t had work in the morning
The relationships between the characters felt real and fleshed out and I really believed in the couples tho I wish we’d gotten a bit of a closer glimpse into at least one of the side character romances that are briefly mentioned
Overall so so glad I finally got around to reading this I had a great time :)
The relationships between the characters felt real and fleshed out and I really believed in the couples tho I wish we’d gotten a bit of a closer glimpse into at least one of the side character romances that are briefly mentioned
Overall so so glad I finally got around to reading this I had a great time :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol and Abandonment
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, and Alcoholism
tano's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
3.0
Cute, but nothing much more.
The discussions about grief and the character development could have been developed more.
The third act breakup (that happened very late in the book actually) was absolutely unnecessary and infuriating. Basically inserted only because it is the genre structure but made no sense.
The discussions about grief and the character development could have been developed more.
The third act breakup (that happened very late in the book actually) was absolutely unnecessary and infuriating. Basically inserted only because it is the genre structure but made no sense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism and Infidelity
jowiththetbrshelves's review
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Imagine Gilmore Girls setting with two best friends in a fake dating setting and copious unnecessary descriptions of foods and you have this book—the good and the bad! There’s some great side characters and parts of the romance are sweet but the mystery is faint, as are the stakes. It’s overlong for what it’s doing, and some of the dramatic background story isn’t needed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent
yvo_about_books's review
4.0
Finished reading: December 26th 2023
“People get too caught up in how things look instead of how things feel.”
Jonetta first brought this Christmas read to my attention with her review, and after I kept hearing great things I decided to give in and read Lovelight Farms during the holiday season. I can definitely understand the love for this series now! True, the sexy scenes were a bit too long and steamy for me, so I skimread those... But the rest of the story more than made up for that. The main star of this story is without doubt the Christmas tree farm setting, which I absolutely adored. It made for such a great backdrop, and the mysterious incidents happening added a little suspense to the plot. I also liked the fake dating trope and how it was incorporated, although it was pretty obvious both sides were hopelessly in love with each other from the start. The story is mainly told through Stella's POV, although we get a glimpse at Luka's POV at the very end. I would have loved to see more of the story through his eyes! I did like the side characters even better than the main couple, but I enjoyed spending time with all of them. The kittens were a bonus! All in all I had a brilliant time reading this Christmas romance, and I can't wait to continue the series next year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Sexual content, Abandonment, Grief, and Death of parent
colorwriter's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A cute and light hearted story about best friends fake dating. Not as holiday-esque as I anticipated but the themes are present. There was a small subplot about sabotage at the farm the got wrapped up really quickly, it almost wasn't needed. Overall very cute and a cozy read to jump start the holiday season.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent
wilybooklover's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.0
On paper, this book should’ve been everything that I love, but sadly didn’t really work for me.
Firstly, it didn’t really feel all that Christmassy to me. The book ended in early December! The premise was ridiculous (what sane adult buys a Christmas tree farm when they don’t do any research or have a clue how to run a Christmas tree farm??), the writing was clunky and meandering, the characters frequently behaved goofily — and not in a fun way. Some of their behaviour felt forced and out of character in order to serve the plot. I felt like I needed more from the hero, especially since this is single POV until the very last chapter. And why was everybody huffing and shuffling? These words were used so repetitively that it was annoyingly conspicuous.
Also, writing a cop (who is meant to be a positive, father-like character) threatening the hero with a gun as though it's cute and endearingly protective is... a Choice.
Firstly, it didn’t really feel all that Christmassy to me. The book ended in early December! The premise was ridiculous (what sane adult buys a Christmas tree farm when they don’t do any research or have a clue how to run a Christmas tree farm??), the writing was clunky and meandering, the characters frequently behaved goofily — and not in a fun way. Some of their behaviour felt forced and out of character in order to serve the plot. I felt like I needed more from the hero, especially since this is single POV until the very last chapter. And why was everybody huffing and shuffling? These words were used so repetitively that it was annoyingly conspicuous.
Also, writing a cop (who is meant to be a positive, father-like character) threatening the hero with a gun as though it's cute and endearingly protective is... a Choice.
On the plus side, the vibes were quite cosy (but also quite sad at times?) and the UST was excellently portrayed in the first half. That was my favourite part.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment and Death
Minor: Infidelity, Terminal illness, Violence, Cancer, Alcoholism, Classism, Gun violence, and Police brutality
aoifeprettypurplepolkadots's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Death of parent
annahamburger's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent, Stalking, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Infidelity
Minor: Cursing, Violence, and Xenophobia
kaitrates's review
I swear this book was written to my personal distaste.
👎🏻Surprise alcoholic dad. (NOPE)
👎🏻A heroine who’s too stupid to live.
👎🏻She’s also lying to her employees and jeopardizing their livelihood.
👎🏻And she refuses to as for help.
👎🏻The most obvious friends who actually love each other *like that.*
I was bored outta my mind. Every other note was a 🙄 or a 🤢 and by the quarter mark i was done.
I did go and skim the last chapter and like fine it was cute enough. Love a good POV switch. I tried to read *just* the smut for funnies but was so disinterested in the characters and their journey that i couldn’t bring myself to.
I’d consider trying this author again but I’m not sure she’s for me.
👎🏻Surprise alcoholic dad. (NOPE)
👎🏻A heroine who’s too stupid to live.
👎🏻She’s also lying to her employees and jeopardizing their livelihood.
👎🏻And she refuses to as for help.
👎🏻The most obvious friends who actually love each other *like that.*
I was bored outta my mind. Every other note was a 🙄 or a 🤢 and by the quarter mark i was done.
I did go and skim the last chapter and like fine it was cute enough. Love a good POV switch. I tried to read *just* the smut for funnies but was so disinterested in the characters and their journey that i couldn’t bring myself to.
I’d consider trying this author again but I’m not sure she’s for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Alcoholism